Takeo Spikes’ impact in San Diego did not result in the Chargers making the playoffs either of his two seasons here.

But it may in the future.

When we watch Donald Butler and Melvin Ingram, we’ll know where they learned how to make every practice count, every night of sleep matter, every meeting a chance to grow. When we watch Eric Weddle, we’ll know who helped him refine how to keep his body and mind right and who helped him grow into his leadership role. If this defense continues to build on its improvement this year, those that are part of it will pay homage in their minds to No. 51.

Said Weddle: “The things he’s done and taught us are going to carry on long after he’s gone.”

We entered Sunday’s game knowing it might be the final time we saw Spikes in a Chargers uniform. And that time didn’t last very long.

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Spikes and Oakland’s Mike Goodson were ejected early in the second quarter Sunday after an extended tussle in which they pulled on each other and wouldn’t let go at the end of a play.

For a surreal few minutes, a subplot among the myriad farewells quickly became the focal drama.

Sure, it was just a momentary distraction for many of those focused on the same thing they’ve been frothing over for months, if not years.

But we’ll spend all Monday talking about the imminent dismissals of Norv Turner and A.J. Smith.

I choose now to pay tribute to Takeo Spikes and lament the absurd way his time in San Diego may have ended.

Spikes is the 36-year-old linebacker who came here in 2011 to finally get to the playoffs and, through no fault of his own, failed.

He started every game this season, playing through a hamstring injury and other aches and pains we’ll never know about nor understand. Even in the face of disappointment he wore heavily around his thick neck, Spikes played these past few weeks as if his life depended on it.

He says he wants to play at least another season. But at his age, he knows there is nothing guaranteed.

And on Sunday, referee John Parry took away Spikes' chance to enjoy one final Chargers victory. And for a reason no one could understand, not even after Parry explained his premature ejection.

“Two players had locked up with grabbing the facemasks, kept pulling, continued to pull after we tried to break it up,” Parry explained after the game. “With the continuation of it and the amount of time that took place – that is why we disqualified them.”

For clarification, Parry was asked what exactly warranted the ejection.

“Time,” Parry said. “Lack of response from what I was trying to get done.”

Wow.

Officials in the NFL have the most difficult job of any in professional sports. I consistently defended these guys well before the replacement official fiasco. But that is a ridiculous justification.

Seriously.

Neither player deserved to be ejected. And, especially, a 15-year veteran deserves a little leeway. Spikes had never been ejected in 218 previous games. In what could be his last in San Diego and perhaps his last one for any team (though I don’t think so), a referee lost more control than Spikes ended up doing.